19 May 2007: Hua Song Museum and Haw Par Villa

We boarded an early bus to the Hua Song Museum. Located within the premises of the Haw Par Villa, it treated us to an engaging showcase that narrates the struggles of early Chinese immigrants around the world. "Hua Song" itself means "in praise of the Chinese", and from the exhibits displayed by the Museum we were offered the opportunity to appreciate the spirit and vigour of the entrepreneurial and industrious Chinese who managed to triumph eventually against all odds in adverse conditions. Past Chinese diasporic movements had created contemporary societies that comprise substantial Chinese communities in different parts of the world, and this makes the study of Chinese migrations one of both importance and relevance.

After a short tour of the Hua Song Museum, we walked to the Ten Courts of Hell, a must-see attraction of the Haw Par Villa. The Courts feature the ten steps of divine judgement before reincarnation in Chinese folklore and mythology. The displays and statues immortalize traditional Chinese moral values, including brotherhood and sibling love, which prompted the late wealthy businessman Aw Boon Haw to build the Villa for his brother Boon Par.

~Ying Kit